Nitish returns Gujarat aid
The Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)-BJP government in Bihar on Saturday returned to Gujarat’s BJP government the Rs 5 crores that the latter had given to Bihar as aid during the Kosi floods of 2008, further straining JD(U)-BJP ties ahead of impending Assembly polls in Mr Kumar’s state.
The unprecedented move, coming a week after Mr Kumar first threatened to return the money, is seen as a snub to BJP icon Narendra Modi in an apparent effort to emphasise the ambitious JD(U)’s secular credentials in Bihar where the nearly 1.4 crore Muslims play a crucial role in elections.
With irate BJP leaders in Bihar protesting the move as improper, insulting, and a unilateral decision by Mr Kumar and his JD(U), relations between the two parties slumped to a new low. The BJP and the JD(U) were thrown onto a collision course on June 12 when Mr Kumar, already aggrieved by Mr Modi’s presence at the BJP national executive in Patna that day, reacted sharply to full-page pro-Modi advertisements in Bihar newspapers mentioning Gujarat’s help. Mr Kumar had also cancelled a scheduled state dinner organised at his residence for 352 BJP leaders from across the country.
Debesh Chandra Thakur, Bihar’s disaster management minister, said on Saturday that his department had sent to the Gujarat government a cheque of Rs 5 crores. “We did not appreciate respected Gujarat CM Narendra Modi’s coming here and taking credit for his state’s aid for the Kosi flood victims. So we brought it back to square one and returned the money,” he said.
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